Notre Dame: Weis and Tate To Cleveland, Clausen To Denver

Is it ever a busy time in South Bend? Notre Dame is not only looking for a new coach, but they are also trying to determine what if any bowl game the Fighting Irish will play in. It is also the heart of recruiting season.

Not only that but the three biggest names associated with Notre Dame are likely to be soon headed to the NFL. It is pretty much a sure thing for former coach Charlie Weis as he will have options as to which team he wants to be offensive coordinator for.

Star quarterback Jimmy Clausen and star receiver Golden Tate are both expected to declare early for the NFL draft as well.

Although Irish fans would love to see them back in South Bend, most feel that the best decision for both of them is to go. Who knows what will happen under a new coach and their stock is high now?

I believe in the saying, "Once a domer, always a domer." Therefore I was continue my interest in Notre Dame players once they are in the NFL. It doesn't matter where they are, I root for them unless they play for the Oakland Raiders. After all, how can you root for a team run by Al Davis?

It is hard to keep up at times but I still enjoy Ryan Grant in Green Bay and Justin Tuck in New York just to name a couple.

Therefore I am very interested in where Weis, Clausen, and Tate all end up next year. Looking at the teams in the NFL, I have come up with the best places for each of them to end up. Not that it will happen like this, but we can always hope.

For Weis, I hope he ends up in Cleveland. There he could work once again with Brady Quinn and hope to help turn his career around. Quinn is in a bad situation there with a lack of playmakers around him and a very inexperienced offensive coordinator. He just doesn't look like the same guy we came to love in South Bend.

We all know the result when Weis and Quinn were together. Unfortunately, we also know the result for both sides since they have been apart. Therefore, a Weis/Quinn reunion would make a lot of sense.

Sure Weis could also go back to New England and reunite with Tom Brady, but what does that prove other than nothing? Going to Cleveland and helping Quinn would restore his status as a great offensive coordinator.

If Weis does end up in Cleveland, I would also love to see Tate go there as well. The reason is that team just lacks playmakers. The only receiver that has shown anything is former Georgia Bulldog Mohamed Massaquoi.

We all know that Tate can make plays. He will make them where ever he goes. However, what better way to start his NFL career than with an offensive coordinator that he knows well. Tate also knows the system inside and out. He will have a quarterback that knows that system extremely well too.

Since Cleveland lacks playmakers, Tate should be able to start right away and make an immediate impact.

Now looking at Clausen, I think there is one team that is the absolute best situation for him. That is the Denver Broncos. Head Coach Josh McDaniels is another Bill Bellichik disciple. He was mentored by Weis. Therefore the system in Denver will be very similar (if not exactly the same) to what Clausen is used to.

Not only that, but they have Brandon Marshall and Eddie Royal who can get downfield. We all know how good Clausen is at getting the ball downfield. The receiving corp. is complimented by Brandon Stokely and Tony Scheffler.

Clausen would also be helped with a really good running game featuring Knowshon Moreno and a very good defense.

Another factor that makes Denver the perfect place for Clausen is their current quarterback situation which has former Purdue star Kyle Orton currently starting. The Broncos current mindset seems to be that Orton is not the quarterback of the future but good enough until they get that guy.

That means that McDaniels doesn't have to rush the development of Clausen. He can bring him along at a comfortable pace and continue starting Orton until Clausen is ready.

The biggest barrier to this scenario would be rather or not Clausen will fall that far. I think it is more possible than we realize. Jake Locker will probably be the first quarterback taken. I am not sure if Colt McCoy and Sam Bradford will go before Clausen or not.

Then again if Clausen won't fall Denver can always trade up to get him and he is a player for them that is worth trading up for.

When all the dust settles in South Bend (hiring a new coach, bowl game, recruiting, etc.), This Irish fan will be praying for Charlie Weis and Golden Tate to be Cleveland Browns and Jimmy Clausen to be a Denver Bronco.